Biofuel company uses cooking oil to create fuel

: Lake County News reports; Posted On Saturday, 01 January 2011 18:55; 01 January 2011

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new and no-cost option for recycling used cooking oil is now available to all Lake County residents.

Through a partnership with Yokayo Biofuels in Ukiah, residents can drop off used cooking oil free of charge at several locations around the county including Southlake Refuse and Recycling in Clearlake and Lake County Waste Solutions in Lakeport.

Drop off at Northshore Fire Protection District station in Lucerne will begin in late January.

Yokayo Biofuels is a production and distribution company based in Ukiah, the closest facility of its kind to Lake County.

Taking a waste product – used cooking oil – Yokayo Biofuels produces “biodiesel” – a fuel that can be used in any motor that operates on diesel for fuel.

Producing nearly 500,000 gallons of biodiesel a year, Yokayo distributes the biodiesel to fuel stations in Northern California.

Cooking oils and grease should not be poured down drains, including in your own home as it makes treating wastewater more difficult. Additionally, oils and grease build-up on the inside of pipes and is a major contributor to clogged sink drains, sewer lines, and septic systems, which may require costly repairs.

While cooking oil can be disposed of in the trash, it is a valuable commodity and can be recycled into fuel.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste estimates that one to three billon gallons of waste oil are produced each year in the U.S. which could be processed into biodiesel.

In 2009, 545 million gallons of biodiesel was produced in the U.S., but only 6 percent of that total was from used cooking oils, according to an August 2010 article in BioCycle magazine. The majority of biodiesel, 77 percent, was produced using virgin oils such as canola, soybean, cottonseed, and palm.

Dropping-off used cooking oil is simple.

First, strain the oil to remove large food particles. Save used oil in a container that is free of contamination from other materials, particularly toxic or hazardous materials (such as a container that once held motor oil, chemicals, or detergents). Containers that once held food or vegetable oil are a good choice.

Oils that can be accepted include olive, soybean, canola, etc. – any vegetable cooking oil that is liquid at room temperature. Bacon grease cannot be accepted.

Oil can be dropped-off during operating hours at the facilities below free of charge. Please do not leave containers at a location when the site is closed. Northshore Fire Protection District will be accepting used vegetable oil in late January, but residents can now drop-off oil at Lake County Waste Solutions and South Lake Refuse & Recycling.

For more information on reducing, reusing, and recycling, please visit the Lake County Recycling Website at www.recycling.co.lake.ca.com, or call the Recycling Hotline at 263-1980. For more information about Yokayo Biofuels, visit www.ybiofuels.org .

No-charge cooking oil drop-off locations:

Lake County Waste Solutions

230 Soda Bay Rd., Lakeport

234-6400 or 1-888-718-4888

Monday to Saturday

7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

South Lake Refuse & Recycling

16015 Davis St., Clearlake

707-994-8614

Daily

7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Northshore Fire Protection District station